Love
by outerelf
Summary: What exactly defines love, and how far should a person be willing to take it? oneshot


_Sometimes love isn't keeping the person you love, but letting them go…_

Red Alert had always loved Inferno, from the very first glance. But Inferno, he knew, had never looked at him back. Oh certainly he saw Red Alert as a _friend_ but nothing more. Or should it be nothing less?

Red Alert figured he could deal with his unrequited love, but when the Ark had crashed down on Earth, it only grew harder. He came so close to confessing to Inferno, but then…

Firestar was still alive. Red Alert was both glad and sick to the spark. Glad for Inferno and for himself, for Firestar had always been a good friend, but saddened, knowing that soon Inferno would make his move, and Red Alert would once again be forgotten…

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ummm, Red?"

Red Alert twisted in his chair to get a good look at Inferno who was staring at his feet. "What's the matter Inferno? Did Firestar get hurt?"

"No! No. I ummm, actually uh wanted to um ask you to ah ummm, help me…" Inferno took a deep breath and said in a rush, "HelpmefindaprivatespottoproposetoFirestar."

Red Alert missed it completely. "Repeat Inferno, I didn't catch it."

Inferno threw a miserable glance at Red Alert. Red Alert could _guess_ what Inferno had said, but some small, forlorn part of his CPU begged Primus that what Inferno had said wasn't true. Inferno took a deep breath. "I want you to help me find a private, romantic spot to propose to Firestar."

Red Alerts CPU was about to crash, so he desperately bought himself some time by asking, "Why not ask Jazz?"

"He's already got a betting pool on when I'll propose. No need to confirm the place!" Inferno hissed, slightly exasperated.

Red Alert turned back to the cameras, but Inferno knew from long association that he was thinking. Finally he spoke. "Theirs… a small outcropping of rock-" He pointed to the north, "During the night time you can see the stars, and it's very… very beautiful at night. Best of all, no one else can see you, and the cameras can't register you so long as you don't move around too much."

Red Alerts head cocked towards Inferno. "It's the quietest, safest place you're going to get no doubt."

Inferno left the room, in much better spirits, happily imagining Firestar as his wife. He forgot to ask Red Alert how he had known about the rocks.

Red Alert knew because he often went out to them, using them as his place of peace and quiet where no one else could find him. It was his last and only refuge, and he had given it willing over to Inferno.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Inferno and Red Alert walked side-by-side down the street, Inferno humming happily. Today was the day he was going to take Firestar aside and ask her to come to the place in which he planned to propose to her. Red Alert was quiet, his CPU and spark battling to tell Inferno what he thought of this.

Red Alerts sharp auditory receptors caught the sound of her voice long before Infernos could, but he said nothing. He couldn't, listening to her soft voice on the wind. "Are you sure he won't learn of this?"

"Oh shush, he's tumbled plenty of others. He won't mind if I have another lover."

Firestars soft giggle, and the sound of a kiss- "Inferno!" his voice was much sharper then he had intended it to be.

Inferno stopped, looking back at him. "I thought that I heard Firestars voice down that way-" Red Alert lied, pointing in the opposite direction then where Firestars voice had come from.

Inwardly he fumed that Firestar would do this to Inferno, destroying his trust. He knew how hard it was to trust if let down even once.

0o0o0o0o0o

Inferno heard soft, heated voices, and decided to investigate. Red Alert and Firstar stood, staring at each other. Inferno wondered idlly if he would have to put out a fire, for the hatred and anger in those optics left him a little uneasy. "How could you do that?"

"Why not?" Firestar challenged. "Surely he must of-"

"No. He didn't. I was with him for the entire time. From the second he lft your side, he never once interfaced with anyone else." Red Alerts voice was soft. "He turned down more then one offer as well."

Inferno held still, wondering who they were talking about, wondering what was going on. He decided to stay quiet and listen. A first for him. Firestar had gone remarkably pale as she stared at him. "never?"

"Never. He was planning on-" Red Alert chocked on the words, and made a slight gesture, one that Firestar instantly recognized. "Surely you could of returned the favor! I had to work hard to keep him from finding out. He was going around town, searching for you everywhere."

Firestar looked away, letting out a slow breath. "Alright, I'll dump the other guy. After all, he's the best possible catch a girl can get." She laughed, a beautiful sound to Infernos auditory receptors.

Red Alert took a step foreword. "Do what you will. After all, he loves you more than you can imagine. But Firestar… I don't think I trust you anymore."

The happy look dropped from her face as she looked at Red Alert. "Have you ever trusted anyone Red Alert?"

"yes. I trusted you and Inferno both. From the day I met you two, onwards. It may not of seemed like it, but I did. I'm not so sure I can anymore Firestar. But I'll try. I'll try for Infernos sake and for something else."

Red Alert turned and vanished into the Ark, as Firestar stood outside, looking up at the stars. Inferno eased out of his hiding spot, coming up to her softly. "Firestar."

She jumped slightly, turning to look at him. "inferno, did you hear-"

Inferno nodded. "The very end. What were you two talking about?"

Firestar shook her head, and decided to come clean.

0o0o0o0o0

Red Alert watched the two optics sick and tired. If he had any sense at all, he would of taken advantage of the opportunity, to turn Inferno away from Firestar…

But his spark and CPU knew that Inferno would despise him for that, so he waited for Firestar to come clean, and watched. Waited. Hoped. For what, he didn't know, but he prayed inwardly as he watched Firestar admit to what she had done, and watched Inferno's face became grieved.

But then they gathered themselves close to each other, and Red Alert knew that Inferno was now completely out of reach.

But he smiled through the sudden tears, glad that Inferno was happy. He left the two standing on the hill, and didn't look back.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The next few months, Inferno and Firestar struggled to rebuild their shattered trust, and Red Alert quietly helped both of them in the only way he could.

He locked the doors with them in the same room and conveniently forgot the access code and had to go and get it from a long list (that kept getting longer every lock in, Inferno swore it) to let the two out.

Of course, both knew what he was doing, but they were grateful for it, because only during those times were they allowed any privacy at all, away from prying optics. Both always came out of the room smirking widely.

Red Alert attempted to keep his CPU on making the two happy, but at odd moments, he found himself jealous, wishing that it was him with Inferno. Briskly he would brush those thoughts aside, burying them.

He had no time for jealously.

0o0o0o0o

Prowl looked at Red Alert, optics weighing him slowly. Red Alert looked back, ignoring the gaze. "So, Inferno will be proposing soon?"

"Yes. To Firestar." A slightly bitter smile curved Red Alerts faceplate, but Prowl could well sympathize.

"Yes… So, Inferno has no idea?"

"No, I won't tell him. I told once, and well," the twisted smile grew a little bigger. "this is where it got me. A glitch, and only a few friends."

Red Alert shook himself, his gaze switching back to Prowl. "But, they don't want to tell anyone. So.."

Red Alert shrugged. Prowl asked, "Are you Ok with this Red Alert?"

Red Alert looked back at him, and then smiled slightly. "Wasn't it a human wise man that said, 'To truly love someone you must be willing to let them go'?"

Both knew he was avoiding the question, but both already knew the true answer. "Very well, they can have that time off to get married."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Inferno waited impatiently. A private wedding was out of the question. Both he and Firestar were too well known to have a private wedding, and many humans as well as Autobots had turned out to watch. Government officials were the most curious, but nobody other then two mechs were allowed in to make sure that when the two lovebirds bonded they bonded properly and without interruption.

Red Alert and Chromia had been chosen as the two to watch. Red Alert was both flattered and stunned beyond belief.

He had been planning on missing the ceremony, so that way he could always pretend that it wasn't happening, but now it was going to preformed right in front of his optics…

Only Prowl knew how much courage it had taken for Red Alert to say yes, and even he wasn't sure whether Red Alert might still attempt to back out. But it was too late now, and Jazz had won the betting pool for once.

During the ceremony it was Red Alert who was calm and solid, while Inferno was impatient and twitchy. "Thanks for coming Red." Inferno whispered, optics on the ground. "I think I would have had a nervous breakdown by now if you weren't here."

Red Alert hid the shaft of pain that lanced through his spark as he said, "But I am here. Don't worry, Firestar should be entering any moment now, and you two can finally be bonded."

Red Alert ignored his shrieking glitch, forcing himself to concentrate on Inferno instead, taking one last long look at him. He wasn't sure if he was going to last through the night without Inferno's soft soothing presence. And with the knowledge that he was perfectly content and would no longer need him sent a another shaft of pain through his spark.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Prime and Prowl sighed heavily. "So, Red Alert gave the couple his blessing?"

"Yes, he would never interfere with Inferno's happiness." Prowl acknowledged, optics saddened. "Question is whether or not he'll try to suicide later or not. He won't do it within the next few vorns in order to spare Inferno too much grief. But…"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Red Alert sat quietly, optics on the table before him. He had two choices, but he already knew what he was going to do. He would live. He would live to make sure that Inferno and Firestar stayed safe and happy. Their was no chance that Inferno would ever recognize him or his love, but maybe one day it that love would transfer to someone else.

Red Alert seriously doubted it, but he wasn't going to die. Not willingly. He had clung to life through too much to be dragged down.

He stood up and walked to where Inferno and Firestar were waiting. Now was the time to start a brand new future for better or for worse, he had made Inferno happy at his own expense. But, as Red Alert looked at the happy couple, his spark softened, and he wondered if it was a burden, or a blessing. Maybe it was both.

But, Inferno was happy, and that was all that really mattered in the end, isn't it?


End file.
